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“We look forward to welcoming them to the stadium on Wednesday and to a challenging encounter.

“Hopefully it is one that we can get plenty out of.

“Although we won’t be up against the standard of Newcastle’s quality once the league season starts, there is still the opportunity to use this fixture to keep building things up ahead of the new campaign.”

Benitez will be glad to get another look at the fringe players whose future on Tyneside will need to be decided before United kick off The Premier League campaign against Tottenham Hotspur on August 13.